The Role of ERP Managers – Project Managers and Their Skillsets and Qualifications

What makes a successful ERP Manager – Learn here! 

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) can be described as an enterprise-wide information system that coordinates all resources, information, and activities for business processes, such as Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Financials, Projects, Human Resources, Customer Relationship Management. The top players in the market are Oracle software, SAP, JDE, Lawson, MS Dynamics, OpenERP, Sage, Infor BAAN, Siebel, and some other ERP-like applications. ERP is powerful software that helps organizations effectively manage and automate their existing business processes and integrated package for running large organizations and meeting their requirements with ease and effectiveness.

ERP Implementations require a co-ordinated effort and liaison between different functions of an Organization. The project is spread over a period of months and various teams get involved to solution the complicated business processes and design the perfect integrated solution. This generates the need for professionals who can guide the ERP team to help them achieve their objectives. This is where the ERP Project Manager enters the realm.

Responsibilities: 

• The Project Leader is responsible for leading all the projects related to new module implementations in ERP (including Third-party products), and Support.
• Also responsible in maintaining resilient operations and support in ERP Applications.
• Lead the production support activity for existing ERP implementation.
• Engage with appropriate business partners/customers to obtain requirements; should be able to effectively plan (cost, resource & time), execute and communicate the project progress to stakeholders.
• Provide end-to-end project leadership and/or participate as a technical team member for projects.
• Adhere to Project Management practices and business change control process.
• Coordination with Stakeholders across multiple organizations and their parent teams globally,
• Develop & maintain standard report repository and build ad-hoc reports in ERP as & when required by the customers.
• Lead and resolve ERP related service issues to ensure client satisfaction.
• Interface closely with web developers during the complete software development lifecycle of applications for database analysis and design, and interface requirements with ERP.
• Interface with the DBA, server & storage administrators to design proactive management processes that ensure ERP application availability & performance are in line with global customer needs.
• Ensure IT404 / SOX / ISO27001 compliance at all times by defining & ensuring adherence to established processes and maintaining updated documentation at all times.
• Lead development & support activities for web applications that interface with ERP. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Bachelors or Masters Degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science or Engineering or equivalent.
• Strong experience in managing ERP, Database (SQL and PL/SQL), and Reports, with good experience in Database concepts and design.
• Technical knowledge of ERP Applications
• Strong Quantitative and Analytical skills.
• Exposure to complete software development lifecycle.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong customer focus, ability to interface with end users and effectively support their requirements.
• Good interpersonal skills with experience interfacing effectively between business and IT teams.
• Good multi-tasking skills with capability to adapt to rapidly changing environments.
• Java/JSP based web application development experience.
• Ability to gather and document complex business requirements.
• Six-Sigma Green Belt Certification.
• Prior experience in handling stakeholders directly.